45NRTH Ragnarok Tall Boot Review

Erin Trail

Initial Impressions

The 45NRTH Ragnarok Tall Boots are a two-bolt medium weight cycling boot that’s great for shoulder to winter season gravel or MTB rides

Detailed Review

Testing Conditions consisted of many 2+ hour gravel rides and an overnight bikepacking mountain bike ride, with temperatures ranging from upper 30s to low 50s. 

When I first moved back to Colorado in January 2011, I was knee-deep in training for my first Ironman.  I had no idea what winter cycling gear was and I just made due with what I already owned.  My feet were miserable – I was riding 4-7 hour rides in my vented triathlon shoes and wool socks in 30 degree temperatures.  My feet would get so cold that they’d go numb; I’d have to stop at gas stations and hold my feet up to the bathroom hand dryers to thaw them out mid-ride.  To say I have PTSD about winter riding from 2011 is an understatement. Fast forward 14 years and, thanks to a full stable of bikes, I’m wanting to ride outside more in the winter.  I’ve got a really great gravel network where I live – I just needed better gear to be able to access it when temperatures get cold.  Thanks to the 45NRTH Ragnarok Tall Boots, I now can ride year-round with warm feet. 

The 45NRTH Ragnarok Tall Boots feature a tall above the ankle neoprene cuff (that affixes with a hook-and-loop closure) and a floating three-finger overlap with the BOA Fit System over the top of the foot, allowing for a super-customized fit.  I ordered the same size as my gravel and triathlon shoes; they fit a little on the large side, but this allows for wearing thicker socks.  The BOA Fit System allows me to tighten down the boots enough where I don’t have any heel movement as I pedal.

Putting 2-bolt SPD cleats on the 45NRTH Ragnarok Tall Boots was easy.  The tread is pretty beefy (compared to my gravel shoes), but I’ve found that it’s easy to find the cleats and clip in as I ride. These boots work really well with my MTB and gravel pants.  On days I’ve worn my long MTB pants, the boots fit neatly under the bottom cuff of the pants.  And on days I’ve worn my thermal gravel bibs, the boots go over the bottom of the tights with enough overlap to prevent cold exposure. Taking off the shoes is also easy.  The BOA Fit System has a reinforced loop towards your ankle – pop the BOA closure open, then one tug on the loop and the laces open up.

The ride experience in these shoes is comfortable.  I have a torn plantar plate and need shoes with a very stiff sole.  I’ve found the soles to be comparable to my carbon triathlon bike shoes – very stiff. I haven’t experienced any hot spots under the cleat, and my feet fit securely with no movement as I pedal. All of this allows me to focus on riding and ensures that my power goes straight into pushing my pedals. 

While I’ve been using these primarily for gravel riding, these boots would also be great for winter mountain bike rides or certain fat bike rides (with very hard packed groomed surfaces and very little hike-a-bike). They are best with clipless pedals.  I did manage one ride on flat pedals with these boots, but the soles aren’t grippy (like flat pedal MTB shoes are) and riding on single track with these shoes + flat pedals was a bit sketchy. 

Closing Thoughts

The 45NRTH Ragnarok Tall Boots have given me access to winter riding again – this time without needing to defrost my frozen feet in gas station bathrooms mid-ride.  I’m no longer trapped in my basement riding Zwift on cold and dry winter days.  These boots allow me to get outside while keeping my feet toasty and comfortable.  I’d definitely recommend these boots to anyone who is looking to ride in the winter.

Erin Trail

Erin Trail’s hobby is collecting hobbies. She’s a 5th Generation Coloradan and grew up exploring the outdoors on family camping trips and hikes.  Her first backpacking trip was at eight years old to Grizzly Reservoir – she proudly carried all of her own gear those 3 miles from the main parking lot to the Reservoir.

Erin is an adult-onset athlete who started as a Masters Swimmer and then developed into a triathlete.  She completed 5 Ironman races and nearly 20 x 70.3 distance Ironman races, including the World Championship in Lahti, Finland, in 2023.  Somewhere along her triathlon journey, she picked up deep love of cycling.

Cycling encouraged her to see landscapes in a new way, learn new skills and to develop self reliance; now she often goes and does Type 2 rides just to see if she can do it.  She’s got all the bikes: gravel, mountain, fat bike, time trial and road.

She is even known to combine her love of camping and cycling and go off on solo 24 hour overnight bikepacking trips in the mountains of Colorado. In addition to bikes, she teaches yoga, lifts weights, skis, SUPs and has recently purchased a campervan.

Erin is a former Montana park ranger with a degree in environmental engineering.  She loves getting into technical details while putting her gear (and herself) through the paces. She shares her home in Colorado with her husband, Will, and her 3 cats (Zipper, Brewtus, and Simcoe).